


Broken

by MerlinTheTalkingParrot



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: BAMF Molly Weasley, BAMF Morrigan, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Fred Death Scene, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Tonks Death Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-19
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-14 08:50:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16037051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerlinTheTalkingParrot/pseuds/MerlinTheTalkingParrot
Summary: Molly Weasley is sure of one thing in life. Children should not have to fight wars. So when Bellatrix Lestrange decides to shoot a Killing Curse in her daughter's way, she knows she has to intervene.Little did she realize that she would be transported to a different realm altogether.





	Broken

Chaos reigned around her as Molly Weasley searched for her next target.

 

All the survivors of the night’s battle had retreated into the Great Hall of Hogwarts where the final battle seemed to be taking place. Harry was dead; the sight of his limp body in the enormous arms of Hagrid had squeezed at her very soul. The boy who she had loved as her own son, the man who had tried to shoulder a responsibility too large for his shoulders, the Chosen One had fallen. Her Harry had fallen. If she could have, she would have wept. It had been a night of losses.   
  


But now was not the time to weep. The final battle remained to be fought. To see whether Light would prevail or if Darkness would snuff the final glimmer of hope left for her world. The final battle was to be fought.   
  


The doughty Centaurs fought with arrow and sinew. The tiny Elves squeaked about her as more and more Death Eaters fell to their assault. She saw her son slam Yaxley to the floor just as she shot a stunner towards a Ministry official who was fighting a group of Hufflepuffs. “Kids so young shouldn’t have stayed back,” she thought to herself as she scanned around the room for her next target.   
  


Her blood ran cold and all the sounds around her subsided as she took in the sight unfolding before her. Hermione, Ginny and Luna were locked in a duel to the death with Bellatrix Lestrange. Time slowed down around her as her eyes widened. She willed her legs to move in their direction. They were no match for the crazed Death Eater. She pushed aside a centaur that blocked her path, almost pushing the giant palomino off his feet with the sheer force of her will. Her hand wrapped around her wand in a vice grip so tight the individual veins began to pop up.   
  


Bellatrix raised her wand and before the words spat off her mouth, Molly knew the incantation that was to follow.   
  


“Avada Kedavra,” her maniacal cackle was pristinely clear to Molly’s ears, despite all the sounds of war crashing around.

 

Suddenly Molly’s whole world went white.   
  


* * *

 

 

Molly opened her eyes to what seemed like fine mist before her eyes. As she came to her senses, she realized it wasn’t mist before her eyes, it was sand. The fine sand you see only at beaches and which had no place in Hogwart’s Great Hall.   
  


‘You might not be at the Great Hall,’ her mind drew a mental note. She tried to sit up and make sense of her surroundings when she glanced down at her clothes.   
  


“Merlin’s pants,” she yelped as she jumped straight up and looked down upon herself.   
  


She was no longer clad in the blood-stained clothes she had won in the battle. Her blood stained robe had been replaced by a pure white gown that billowed with the soft breeze that moved around her. She felt the material between her fingers and it was extremely fine and soft and she had a strong inkling it was goblin-made. It reminded her of her wedding gown but this one was a lot simpler than the one she had worn on that fateful night.   
  


Bewildered she looked around her and her surroundings only served to further her bewilderment. She seemed to be standing in what seemed to be a sea of the fine, white sand. It stretched out for as far as her eyes could see. The milky white sky seemed to meld with the sand at the horizon. No clouds littered the heavens and no birds flew. There was no sound but the sound of her own calm breath and her heart that seemed to slow down as her surroundings calmed Molly. All thoughts of the war were driven clean off her mind as she simply soaked in the serenity flowed around her.   
  


A raven’s croak suddenly pierced the tranquil air and snapped Molly out of her reverie. She scanned the sky for the intruder but it continued to bedazzle her with its empty milkiness.   
  


‘Turn around,’ a whisper crept its way inside her head. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to place it but no one she knew had a voice like this. Satin Steel was the closest she could come to describing it.   
  


She did as she was commanded. It didn’t seem like she had much of a choice, the voice was too intimidating to brook dissent. She looked back and her eyes bulged out of their sockets. A gigantic black elder tree stood a few paces from her. It was so huge that if she would have tried to look for the top, she would have had to tilt her neck almost all the way back. No leaves grew on the tree and the cracked, charred trunk betrayed the fact that this magnificent tree had been burnt and all the remained of it was the husk.   
  


But Molly’s eyes did not rest upon the trunk or the top. She had eyes only for the hundred ravens that were perched upon the branches of the tree, all of them looking at her. The hair at the back of her neck stood up as all the eyes caught every little movement she made. It was a little too disquieting for her and she took a tentative step back.   
  


“Stay,” the same voice appeared in her head again. It had only been a chilly whisper but she felt like her very soul had been commanded. Her legs glued themselves to the ground and all she could do was look around her. The tension grew with every second as the beads of perspiration that flowed down her neck were picked up by the cool breeze that flowed around her. The tranquillity she had felt a few moments ago was all gone and was replaced by a sense of foreboding that only increased by the minute.   
  


‘This should be fun’, the whisper called out again and the very next second all the ravens flew off the branches and launched themselves to where Molly was standing. She gave out a little yelp and brought out her hands before her face with her eyes closed, hoping to protect her face from the attack that was to follow.    
  


No attack came.   
  


As the seconds passed by, Molly spread her fingers out over her face so that she could see and was greeted by the sight of an imperious woman, staring at her with impassioned eyes.    
  


She towered over Molly and was exceptionally fair; pale seems to be a better description, Molly thought. Her pale skin stood up in a violent contrast to the black lace half-mask that covered the right side of her face. Her green eyes seemed to pierce Molly’s very soul and her hair, which flowed down in an unruly tangle upon her right side, gave her an almost feral appearance. She was clothed in a deep black cloak and Molly could discern the glint of silver chain armour from behind the cloak. To complete the imposing look, she held a staff made of bone in her hand.   
  


Molly was clearly threatened by the strange figure before her who continued to direct deep stares at her which were only punctuated by slow blinks. The woman before her made no attempts to break the silence which only increased Molly’s unease. All she did was    
  


A raven’s croak suddenly sliced the tension like a fine sword and the distracted Molly looked around for the source of the disturbance.   
  


“Tch tch tch,” the woman clicked her tongue was she shook her head slowly, “So easily distracted you are. It’s a fatal error in battle, hasn’t anyone told you?” she glinted a smile that made Molly feel cold to her bones. “And yet you run to battle one who is far more accomplished than you. So foolish.” She pursed her lips into a look of cold disapproval.   
  


“She is going to hurt my daughter,” Molly’s voice quavered as she stood her ground in the face of the wintery stare directed towards her, “I will not let that happen.”   
  


“She isn’t trying to hurt your daughter, she is trying to kill her,” the woman standing before her spoke in a low voice, “This is what it shall look like.”   
  


Suddenly, Molly was transported back to the Great Hall. Even as she tried to run towards her, the Killing Curse caught Ginny just below her shoulder blade. Her eyes grew wide and for a second it seemed like a tiny tear vaporized from her eye into the air around her. The very next instant, her body was thrown back into the air and slammed against the wall behind her. Ginny’s eyes were open, the life sucked out of them.   
  


“NOOOOOOO,” Molly Weasley screamed and suddenly was brought back face-to-face with the Black witch.   
  


“WHO ARE YOU?” she screamed as Molly jumped at the witch, who simply flicked her hand and Molly was thrown back into the air. Landing with a grunt, she stood up gingerly, eyeing the black witch with renewed caution but also undisguised hatred.    
  


“A victim to your own emotions,” the witch continued in a frigid tone, slowly walking towards her, “Another fatal flaw in battle. How will you save three when you couldn’t even save one.”   
  


Molly was once again transported, this time to the courtyard of Hogwarts. She was flying in the air as the war took place below her. Suddenly, her eyes were directed towards a short redhead as she blocked a spell. She snuck a spell under her assailant’s defences and managed to stun him to the ground. With a smile she moved on, looking for her next target, not realizing that just behind her, a purple-haired witch was in dire need of help as she was overwhelmed by her wild-haired opponent.   
  


Molly was brought back to her surroundings even as her eyes were drawn wide and her brain tried to flee the conclusion it was being forced to accept.   
  


“Your failure to be aware of your surroundings led to the death of your close friend,” the black witch began circling Molly, who was now clutching her chest as it contracted under the weight of the knowledge that she could have saved Tonks.   
  


“They always leave you back, don’t they,” the black witch didn’t offer any respite, “Whenever some dangerous task has to be done, they always leave you behind. What could be the reason for that? Do they realize that fighting is just not what you are made for?”   
  


“Why are you doing this?” Molly cried out, as she struggled to stay upright, the weight of the statements proving too much to bear for the Weasley matriarch.   
  


“I am preventing you from making a mistake,” the black witch pulled herself up to her full, regal height. “I am Mórrígan,” she announced, “And this is my Realm. Here I can show you events that have occurred and that shall occur. I was once a great witch who fought in battles and so I can tell you, you aren’t ready for such a foe. Your time hasn’t come yet but if you insist on fighting her, it will surely come a lot sooner than destiny intended it to be.”   
  


“But if I don’t fight her,” Molly wailed, “She shall kill my daughter.” She continued to hold her arms tightly wrapped around her chest, trying to prevent herself from breaking into the many pieces she could feel herself cracking into.   
  


“You already lost a son today, how would another death in the family matter?” Mórrígan spoke without a hint of compassion in her eyes, “It’s the rule of war that people shall die.”   
  


Molly was once more transported to Hogwarts, this time to the corridor before the secret passageways leading into Hogwarts. She knew the sight that she was going to be subjected to but in no way did it lessen her horror.   
  


Fred seemed to be joking when suddenly a huge explosion tore the world around them. Molly began to weep as her eyes seemed fixed on the sight of her son being thrown back in the air before he fell hard on the dusty floor. His eyes had turned glassy; he had been dead before he had hit the floor.   
  


“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?” Molly screamed at the witch before her as she howled in agony, on her knees, the pain in her chest proving too much to bear.   
  


“Because I want to break you,” Mórrígan aimed a dispassionate reply towards her, those unblinking eyes lapping in the agony that Molly’s body betrayed. “I wish to break you so that you don’t commit the mistake you are about to commit. I don’t want you to die. Not in this war. This is the only way to stop you. When you go back into the real world, you shall remember none of this but you shall carry the fear of the war with you. That alone should leaden your feet and stop you from challenging a foe beyond you.”   
  


“That’s where you are wrong,” Molly spat out, gritting her teeth as she managed to get back on her feet and looked straight into her eyes, “Nothing can stop me from trying to protect those I hold dear to me and that means all three of those girls, not just my daughter. Nothing you can show will break me enough Mórrígan.” She ended with a bark-like laugh, her eyes glinting with defiance and anger as she stared right back at the black witch, who shot a cold, appreciative smile in return.   
  


“I always like a fighter,” she spoke, “But that’s the thing with me. I never lose.” She looked appreciatively at Molly, who had an uncomfortable feeling of being a book that could be easily read through. “Ah, Your brothers,” Mórrígan sported a winning smile as Molly’s eyes widened.

 

“NOOOOOOOO,” she screamed as she hurtled to a house she knew all too well.   
  


“CRUCIO,” a harsh voice shouted around her. A split second passed and shouts filled the air. Molly recognized the voice within a second. She tried to close her ears with her hands but they remained stationary beside her. Against her will, her entire body turned so that she could be a blind spectator to the gory sight unfolding before her. She tried to close her eyes but they wouldn’t do as much as blink. She had no option but to see the torture of her brother Fabian at the hands of the Death Eaters.   
  


“CRUCIO,” Bellatrix Lestrange cackled as her curse hit her victim, making him scream louder still. Molly openly wept as Fabian’s screams tore through his throat even as the other Death Eater around him continued to laugh. Some of them bore the marks of a fight but it only spurred them to further increase the torment upon their captive.   
  


Bellatrix shot a Bone-Breaker Curse at Fabian’s legs and then proceeded to rip the bone off his legs. Molly couldn’t stand to look at the torture of her brother before her but she had no choice. She cursed Mórrígan and she cursed the Death Eaters. She howled as the Death Eaters took turns at him.   
  


Her torment lasted for nearly an hour, by the end of which Molly Weasley was nearly catatonic by the sight of the sheer brutality the Death Eaters had perpetrated upon Fabian. She had heard stories of it but the images those words had weaved now seemed like a playful tap to the head.   
  


“AVADA KEDAVRA,” Antonin Dolohov finally allowed Fabian the release of death and Molly hurtled back to Mórrígan’s Realm.    
  


Mórrígan looked at the woman who lay before her. She respected her bravery but knew that in a battle against someone as skilled as Bellatrix Lestrange, she had no chances of survival. There was no place for the weak on the battlefield and Molly’s pathetic condition only validated her belief that emotions were the biggest enemy as one battled on. Slowly, she walked over the woman as she lay weeping on the ground.   
  


Bending down, she whispered, “Your daughter shall not die today. When you feel capable, stand up and take ten paces back. You shall be sent back to where you came from. You shall remember nothing of this place but the emotions you shall carry will stay with you. Good Luck.”   
  


With these words, Mórrígan stood up and started to walk back towards the tree. She knew she had broken another witch. Molly would be too afraid to fight Bellatrix Lestrange, who would have to be claimed by another wizard. Who would claim her was not something she bothered herself with. Her job was to ensure that Molly Weasley didn’t battle Bellatrix Lestrange and by the looks of it, her job was done.   
  


“I have won. I have broken you” Mórrígan whispered as she stretched her arms out and prepared to take her raven form. 

 

“No you haven’t” a strangled voice, suddenly broke through her ears. It took a moment for comprehension to strike her and Mórrígan turned around with eyes wide open. Molly Weasley was beginning to stand up. Her face was puffy because of the incessant crying and she looked extremely fragile. Yet a slow fire began to burn in her eyes. A fire that Mórrígan knew all too well, a fire that always burned in her own eyes when faced with insurmountable odds.

 

Molly Weasley drew herself to her full height and Mórrígan couldn’t help but smile at how the short woman towered. “You are right,” Molly spoke, her voice low and menacing, “I haven’t faced an enemy as strong as Bellatrix Lestrange and yes, I am afraid. But I am not going to let her hurt any more kids. It doesn’t matter if Ginny shall survive. If she tries to harm any child, I am going to stop her. There is nothing you can show me that shall change this. I am going to fight Bellatrix and if I die, so be it.” Molly closed her fist and gritted her teeth as she stared dangerously into Mórrígan’s eyes, cold fury burning off her own.   
  


Mórrígan simply smiled as she took in the furious visage of Molly Weasley. For the first time, warmth cracked her frigid exterior and her eyes gazed at Molly appreciatively. She nodded at her and said, “Arrogance is often the fall of the greatest warriors. Use it.”

 

With these words, she turned at the spot and turned into a black blur. A hundred ravens flew into the sky and landed on the branches of the tree, all looking at Molly and silently wishing her all the luck in the world.   
  


Molly smiled as she walked back the ten steps with her head held high. She knew she had the battle to win.

 

* * *

 

Molly Weasley ran up to the girls as they ducked the Killing Curse. Pushing them aside in a single motion, she faced Bellatrix Lestrange and spat, “NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot has been inspired by the painting 'Broken Column' by Frida Kahlo. Hope I was able to justice to the ideas behind it.
> 
> I guess readers shall undoubtedly recognize Molly Weasley's end line has been taken verbatim from Chapter 36 of JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Also the first segment borrowed some aspects from the same chapter of the same book. 
> 
> Mórrígan is the Celtic War Goddess. I have exercised my artistic liberties in portraying her as a witch.
> 
> Reviews are definitely welcome.


End file.
